Hosta plant named ‘Mini Skirt’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Hosta  plant named ‘Mini Skirt’ with coarsely-sinuate cordate leaf blades having variegation of creamy yellow to creamy white margins and dark green center and feathering intermediate colors. The plant habit is short, compact and rounded with flowering just above foliage, and the leaves and scapes are thick substance and stiff.

Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid (Tratt.).

Variety denomination: ‘Mini Skirt’.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Hosta plant, Hosta‘Mini Skirt’ hereinafter also referred to as the new plant or just thecultivar name, ‘Mini Skirt’. Hosta ‘Mini Skirt’ was discovered by MariaMartinez as a non-induced, naturally-occurring, whole-plant mutation ina batch of tissue cultured Hosta ‘Mighty Mouse’ (not patented) at anursery greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich., USA during the summer of 2008. Thenew plant has been asexually propagated by division at the same nurseryin Zeeland, Mich. USA since 2009 and also by careful shoot tip planttissue culture with the resultant asexually propagated plants havingretained all the same traits as the original plant. ‘Mini Skirt’ isstable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexualreproduction.

Hosta ‘Mini Skirt’ has not been made publically available or soldanywhere in the world prior to the filing of this application. Anypublic disclosure of ‘Mini Skirt’ has been by the inventor, or one whoobtained the material either directly or indirectly from the inventor,and any such disclosure has not been made more than one year prior tothe application of this invention.

There are over 4,500 registered Hostas with The American Hosta Society,which is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genusHosta. Hosta ‘Mini Skirt’ is a sport from ‘Mighty Mouse’ (not patented)which is one of many sports from Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ (not patented).The most similar Hosta cultivar known to the applicant is Hosta ‘MightyMouse’. The new plant differs from ‘Mighty Mouse’ in that the marginappears wider but most notably in the course wave in the leaf bland,whereas ‘Mighty Mouse’ has a flat leaf blade. Another cultivar, ‘RuffledMouse Ears’ (not patented), has similar sport history, both originallyarising from ‘Blue Mouse Ears’. ‘Ruffled Mouse Ears’ has a similarcoarse wave to the leaves but is not variegated. Hosta ‘Pure Heart’ (notpatented) is a sport of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ with foliage having a whitecenter and green margin, but ‘Pure Heart’ also has a flatter leave than‘Mini Skirt’ and variegation in a reverse pattern. Hosta ‘Mouse Tracks’(not patented) is another sport of ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ with creamystreaking variegation throughout the dark green foliage and without awide creamy white to creamy yellow margin. Hosta ‘Mouse Tracks’ also hasa flatter leaf than ‘Mini Skirt’.

Other Hosta cultivars have short habit and variegation of a similarnature, or other individual traits similar to ‘Mini Skirt’ but the newplant differs from the above cultivars and all other Hostas known to theapplicant, by the combination of the following traits.

-   -   1. Coarsely-sinuate cordate leaf blades.    -   2. Leaves with creamy yellow to creamy white margins and dark        green center and feathering intermediate colors.    -   3. Short, compact, rounded habit with flowering just above        foliage.    -   4. Stiff scapes and leaves with thick substance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance ofthe plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,temperature, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color.

The drawing shows a three-year old plant in a container in mid-seasongrown in a shaded greenhouse at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. withsupplement fertilizer and water as needed.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hosta ‘Mini Skirt’, hasnot been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype mayvary slightly with different environmental conditions, such astemperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but withoutany change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of a potted three-year old plant in a shaded greenhousein Zeeland, Mich. with and supplemental water and fertilizer.

-   Botanical classification: Hosta×hybrid.-   Parentage: Whole-plant mutation of Hosta ‘Mighty Mouse’ (not    patented).-   Propagation: Garden division and sterile plant tissue culture.-   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About two to three    weeks.-   Growth rate: Moderate.-   Crop time: About 10 to 12 weeks to finish during the summer in a    one-liter container from rooted tissue culture plantlet.-   Rooting habit: Fleshy, lightly branching.-   Plant shape and habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial with basal rosette    of leaves emerging from rhizomes producing a short symmetrical mound    of broadly horizontal leaves.    -   -   Plant size.—Foliage height 9.0 to 12.0 cm above soil line to            the top of the leaves and about 24.0 to 28.0 cm wide at the            widest point just above soil line.-   Foliage description: Entire, glabrous, glaucous above and below but    more glaucous below, cordate, broadly acute leaf apex with cordate    base; coarsely sinuate.-   Leaf blade: About 6.0 cm long and 6.0 cm wide; dark green center and    light yellow margin that varies in width from 8.0 mm to 20.0 mm wide    at broadest portion of leaf blade; surface smooth without dimpling,    bulging or blistering.    -   -   Leaf blade color.—Early season shortly after emergence            adaxial (top) center color more green than RHS 122A and more            blue than RHS N138C; early season adaxial margin lighter and            more yellow than RHS N144D and more green than RHS 154B;            early season abaxial (underside) center nearest RHS N138D;            early season abaxial margin between RHS 1C and RHS 11B;            other intermediate colors in irregular patches and stripes            between the margin and center portions on both adaxial and            abaxial sides nearest RHS 138C, RHS 144C and RHS 138D;            mid-season and later summer adaxial centers nearest RHS            137A; mid-season and later adaxial margins nearest RHS 160D;            mid-season and later abaxial center nearest RHS N138D;            mid-season and later abaxial margins nearest RHS 11D;            intermediate colors where adaxial margin and center unevenly            and irregularly fold over each other include: more green            than RHS 160B and nearest RHS 3C, nearest RHS 148C, between            RHS 147B and between RHS 147C and nearest 145B; irregular            intermediate abaxial colors of nearest RHS 138B, lighter            than RHS N138D and nearest RHS 145A.-   Petiole: Entire, glabrous concavo-convex; mostly straight from base    of plant to leaf base with little bending or curving, stiff; 4.0 to    6.0 cm long and 5.0 to 6.5 mm wide at base, average about 5 cm long    and 5.5 mm wide.    -   -   Petiole color.—Adaxial centers nearest RHS 137C; adaxial            margins nearest RHS 157C; abaxial center nearest RHS N138C;            abaxial margins nearest RHS 157D.-   Veins: Parallel, raised on abaxial side, normally 8 pairs and one    main center vein.    -   -   Veins color.—Adaxial and abaxial veins the same color as the            surrounding tissue.-   Flower description:    -   -   Buds one day prior to opening.—Globose with rounded apex and            narrow base; about 1.8 cm in diameter with base narrowing at            about mid-length to about 0.4 cm diameter; about 3.5 cm            long.        -   Bud color.—Between RHS 85B and RHS 91B with stripes of            nearest RHS 85D.        -   Flowers.—Perfect; perianth shape funnelform; held nearly            horizontal with pedicel at 90 degree angle to peduncle;            corolla tube about 3.0 cm wide and 4.0 cm long, (distal            flowers smaller), persists for a normal period, usually one            day on plant or as cut flower; scapes remain effective with            flowers from late June to mid-July with 20 to 25 flowers per            scape; no detectable fragrance.        -   Tepal.—Two identical sets of three, glabrous, entire; fused            at base; clavate with broadly acute apex; each approximately            3.5 cm long and 1.4 cm wide.        -   Tepal color.—Coloring of both sets identical; abaxial basal            one third white, lighter than RHS 155D; abaxial center and            distal portion nearest RHS 85D with three main veins nearest            RHS 85C; adaxial basal one quarter white, lighter than RHS            155D; adaxial distal three quarters nearest RHS N82D with            three main veins of between RHS N82B and RHS N82C and one            side vein on either side of the three main veins nearest RHS            N82C.-   Gynoecium: Single.    -   -   Style.—Single, approximately 4.3 cm long, 1.5 mm diameter,            curved upward slightly in distal 1.0 cm; color lighter than            RHS 155D.        -   Stigma.—Globose, about 2 mm in diameter, lighter than RHS            157D and slightly more yellow-green than RHS 155D.-   Androecium:    -   -   Filaments.—Six, approximately 4.0 cm long and 1.0 mm in            diameter; curved upward to nearly 90 degrees in the apical            1.0 cm; color lighter than RHS 155D.        -   Anthers.—Elliptic; dorsifixed, dehiscent longitudinally;            about 2.5 to 3.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide; color between RHS            N187A and RHS N186B.        -   Pollen.—Elliptic, less than 0.1 mm long, color nearest to            RHS 14C.-   Peduncle: Usually one per mature division; glaucous, glabrous;    nearly vertical to slightly curved up to 20 degrees from vertical,    more curved with horizontal or one directional lighting, more erect    or vertical with even and overhead lighting; 18 to 24 cm tall, and    up to 9 mm in diameter at base.    -   -   Peduncle color.—Nearest RHS N138D in the lower portion and            nearest RHS 138B in the upper portion.-   Pedicel: Short, glabrous; approximately 5 mm long, 2 mm diameter;    nearest RHS 138C with tinting of nearest RHS 85C where exposed to    more light.-   Scape bracts: Each flower normally subtended by a single bract,    decreasing in size distally with one or two below first flowers;    bracts subtending flowers protruding to nearly perpendicular to    scape; concaved supporting flower bud; lowest bracts resembling    sessile leaves with largest 2.5 cm long 6.0 cm wide, first bract    subtending flower about 12 mm long and 5 mm wide.    -   -   Scape bract color.—Adaxial center between RHS 138D and RHS            N138B, adaxial and abaxial margin more yellow than RHS 145C            and more green than RHS 11C; abaxial centers between RHS            138B and RHS N138C.-   Fruit: Not yet observed.-   Seed: Not yet observed; infrequent or sterile under present growing    conditions.-   Disease resistance: The new plant has not shown any resistance to    pests and diseases common to Hostas. The plant grows best and shows    best coloration with plenty of moisture, adequate drainage and light    shade, but is able to tolerate some drought when mature, and    tolerates direct sun without leaf burn, especially during the cooler    parts of the day and when provided sufficient water. Hardiness at    least from USDA zone 3 through 9, and other disease resistance is    typical of that of other Hostas.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct ornamental plant cultivar named Hosta‘Mini Skirt’ as herein described and illustrated.